Wife claims that her husband, Ashok Kumar, would have fled if he had committed the crime; villagers testify to the accused’s good character
Mamta Devi's world turned upside down when she received a call on Friday evening informing her that her husband has been arrested in a murder case of a seven-year-old boy at Ryan International School, Gurgaon. Claiming that her husband is "innocent", the 25-year-old has demanded "strict" action against the school authorities.
Her husband Ashok Kumar, who had allegedly murdered a class II student after slitting his throat, was sent to a three-day judicial custody on Saturday. However, the family members and the neighbors at his village Ghamroj have vowed that he is "innocent" and denied to accept the fact that someone as "kind" as Kumar could have done such a thing.
"If my husband had committed the crime, he would have fled from the spot rather than helping the school staff in rushing that poor kid to hospital," said the inconsolable Devi.
Among hundreds of locals gathered in the courtyard of Kumar's house on Saturday, was Birwati, a grocery shop owner, who said, "I have been watching him since the last 15 years. He is a very quiet man who does not talk to anybody."
Villagers also said that the police should have visited the family to take their statements as well. "Police should have come and inquire about Kumar from his parents and locals. Why are they doing a one sided investigation in the matter?" asked a neighbour.
Kumar, 45, who is the sole earner of his family, has two children aged 7 and 8. He lives with his aged parents while four of his sisters have got married. He used to drive a local bus until he lost his license in 2015. He then started working as a conductor in a school named Vivek Bharti, where wife is also employed as a cleaner.
"He worked at our school for around 4-5 months during which we did not receive any complaint against him. He used to be a very calm person back then," said Prabha Rani, a coordinator at Vivek Bharti School.
According to Kumar's family, he started working at Ryan earlier this year as the school was offering decent money for the job. "One of my children had injured his leg last year and bled profusely. My son had fainted seeing the blood. He is so kind hearted," said Kumar's mother Kela Devi.
The village Sarpanch Nirmala Devi also extended her support to the family saying, "The family has a very good image in the village. They are very sober people. I am sure Ashok could not have done that."
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